Media Information

Evergreen Earns Top Spot on 2012 Peace Corps College Rankings

Written by Evergreen Communications Office on January 27, 2012 at 3:45 pm

OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Evergreen State College ranks tenth in the nation on Peace Corps' 2012 rankings of colleges and universities in the small category (less than 5,000 undergraduates). This ranking is up from 11 in 2011.

There are currently 20 Evergreen undergraduate alumni and six graduate alumni serving as Peace Corps volunteers

Corps service every year,” said Peace Corps Director Aaron S. Williams. “These alumni go on to serve as Peace Corps volunteers, applying the skills and knowledge they acquired during their studies to promote world peace and friendship and improve the lives of people around the world. Every day, volunteers make countless contributions to projects in agriculture, education, the environment, health and HIV/AIDS education and prevention, small business development, and youth development. I would like to extend my gratitude to all colleges and universities for their continued support of the Peace Corps and public service.”

Since 1961, more than 200 Evergreen alumni have served as Peace Corps volunteers.

Today, Peace Corps volunteers work in 76 countries in the areas of education, youth and community development, health and HIV/AIDS, small business development, and communication technology, agriculture and environment.

Other Washington colleges and universities that placed on the 2012 Top Colleges rankings are University of Washington in Seattle (rank 2 in large category), Western Washington University in Bellingham (rank 2 in medium category), Gonzaga University in Spokane (rank 2 in small category), and Seattle University in Seattle (rank 8 in small category).

About the Peace Corps: Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps by executive order on March 1, 1961, more than 200,000 Americans have served in 139 host countries. Today, 9,095 volunteers are working with local communities in 75 host countries. Peace Corps volunteers must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years of age. Peace Corps service is a 27-month commitment and the agency’s mission is to promote world peace and friendship and a better understanding between Americans and people of other countries.